Intermediate jaw pliers



Rariarch' 25, 1952 l. F. MATTHYSSE ETAL 2,590,261

INTERMEDIATE JAW PLIERS Filed Sept. 29. 1945 Patented Mar. 25, 1952INTERMEDIATE JAW PLI'ERS Irving Frederick Matthysse and Henry PeterDupre,l New York, N. Y., assignors to Burndy Engineering Company, Inc.,a corporation of New York Application September 29, 1945, Serial No.619,326

Our invention relates to pliers, more particularly to pliers used forinstalling solderless electrical connectors.

A common method for installing solderless electrical connectors on smallsizes of single or multiple strand electrical conductors or wires is byindenting, crimping, or otherwise distorting the wire-receiving barrelof the connector by means of crimping pliers designed specically forthat purpose. Such electrical connectors frequently employ insulationgrips to give additional support to small wires. Crimping pliers,therefore, also may have insulation grip closing grooves to compress orclose the insulation grips about the insulation on the wire.

Such pliers has on its jaws at least two working positions, one forcrimping the wire-receiving barrels of electrical connectors and one forclosing the insulation grips of such connectors. However, to eliminatethe necessity for having different pliers for each size of electricalconnector, pliers have been made with a number of different workingpositions for crimping different size wire-receiving barrels anddifferent size insulation grips. In the past, all these positions havebeen placed on a single set of jaws. For example, one popular type ofpliers has three positions, namely, one position for installing threedifferent sizes of wire receiving barrels, a second position for closingthe insulation grips on two of these connector sizes and a thirdposition for closing the insulation grip of the third size of connector.

This principle of employing a single vposition to install a number ofdifferent sizes of electrical connectors usually results in electricaljoints somewhat inferior to those made in pliers, having workingpositions specifically designed to fit only one size of connector. Inaddition it is desirable to have the pliers close fully when theconnector is completely crimped, in order to relieve the operator fromexercising any judgment as to when the pliers is closed sufficiently tohave properly crimped the connector. This desirable feature usuallycannot be obtained in a working position designed to crimp more thanonesize of electrical connector since if the pliers makes a good joint whenfully closed on the smallest size of connector, it usually cannot beclosed all the way on the largest size of connector accommodated withoutrequiring excessive force and without damaging the connector byexcessive crimping.

Therefore, it is desirable to have a dilierent Working position for theWire receiving barrels and the insulation grips for each size ofelectricalconnector accommodated. This usually cannot be accomplished ina single set of plier jaws since the jaws would then be quite long andthe mechanical advantage obtained in those working positions furtherestfrom the fulcrum of the pliers would be too low to permit adequatecrimping pressure on the connector. We have found that three workingpositions are approximately the maximum that can be placed in aV singleset of jaws if adequate pressure is to be obtained in all positions.

Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide pliers havingmore working space Vin the jaws than is available in the conventionalform of pliers having an equal jaw length, so that additional workingpositions may be provided with adequate mechanical advantage andpressure in every position. K

Another object is to provide such pliers that may be completely closedto a stop when installing connectors in any of the working positions,thereby eliminating judgment on the part of the operator. K n

Still another object is to provide such pliers capable of producingelectrical connections of uniformly good electrical conductivity andhigh mechanical pullout strength.`

A further object isA to provide pliers with two main jaws, the workingpositions on one jaw being different from the working positions on theother jaw, and having means for providing a complementary workingposition for each posi tion on the main jaw. l

A still further object is to provide pliers with a selective jaw, theposition of which may be quickly and easily adjusted to expose differentWorking positions for operation. l d

We accomplish these and other objects and obtain our new results as willbe apparent from the device described in the following specification,particularlyv pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which: y

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of our pliersfpr'ovided with two open mainjaws and. an intermediate jaw secured to one of the main jaws;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the intermediate jaw secured to the othermain jaw.

Fig. 3 is a top View ofy our pliers in closed position, with theintermediate jaw secured to the same main jaw as is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the intermediate jaw.

Fig. 5 is a transverseusectional"View through the jaws, taken in theplanes 5--5 of Fig'. 3.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view through the plier handles, takenin the planes 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a similar view taken in the planes 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a similar view indicating jaws in closed position, and theintermediate jaw locked to jaw I2.

The pliers shown in the drawing comprise jaw member I integral withhandle and jaw member I2 integral with handle I3. The jaws are pivotallymounted on pin I4, riveted at ends thereof, as at I5, to maintain thejaws in movable position.

An intermediate jaw I6 is positioned between the jaw members and has theshape illustrated in Fig. 4. Integral with the jaw is a latching springI1 having a handle I8 and the jaw member is enlarged transversely at I9to provide an aperture I9a for rotation on the pin I4.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a cross-section of the pliers, indicating howthe two jaws are recessed to provide space for the central portion I9 ofthe intermediate jaw. Recess Ia is provided on the face IIJb of jaw I0and corresponding recess 12a is provided on face |222 of jaw I2. Thecentral portion I9 of the intermediate jaw I6 is seated in the tworecesses, with faces Ib and |2b of the jaws Il] and I2, respectively,abutting each other during the operation of the pliers. Thus theintermediate jaw is free to swivel between the main jaws of the pliers.

Additionally, the spring I1 extends from the intermediate jaw I6 intothe recesses I3a and IIa of handles I3 and Il, respectively, as shown inFig. 3, which recesses thus provide ample room for the movement of thelatching spring between the handles of the pliers.

Jaw member I0 is provided with an indenting groove 20 and insulationcrimping grooves 2| and 22. Similarly, jaw member I2 is provided with anindenting groove 23 and insulation crimping grooves 24 and 25. In theparticular form of our pliers illustrated, indenting grooves 2U and 23,and crimping grooves 2| and 24, constitute four individual sizes.Grooves 22 and 25 are complementary insulation crimping grooves for awire having a large diameter insulation.

The intermediate jaw member I6 may be selectively positioned on eitherof the main jaws. It contains four working positions, namely, indentingteeth 26 and 21, used in connection with indenting grooves 2G and 23,respectively, on jaws I0 and I2, and insulation crimping grooves 28 and29 complementary to grooves 2| and 24, respectively, on jaws I0 and I2.By giving the jaw IB a length less than the main jaws, the two main jawsmay operate against each other for a large size crimping position.

The intermediate jaw may be locked into any one of two positions bymeans illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Such means comprise the latchingspring I1, and latches 30 and 3| extending towards each other fromhandles and I3, respectively. The latches are oiset from each other sothat they will pass one another when the jaws close, as is shown in Fig.3. The space remaining between each of the latches and its oppositehandle is suicient to clear the latching spring when the handles areclosed as shown in Fig. 8.

The latches 30 and 3| are provided with two slight grooves 36 and 31,respectively, so as to seat the spring I1 therein, depending on whichposition of the intermediate jaw is selected. When the pliers are in theclosed position, and

the intermediate jaw is secured to jaw I2, the spring will be seated ingroove 31 of latch 3|. In this position, the spring will be slightlysprung away from its longitudinal axis so that it will retain its seatin the groove, and insures that the intermediate jaw is rmly positionedagainst its main jaw while in use. The spring will be flexed in theopposite direction when seated in groove 36, of latch 30, as shown inFig. 2. Surface 35 of latch 30, directly opposite groove 36, is taperedslightly, to release spring I1, allowing it to fall into groove 31 oflatch 3| under the action of the spring tension.

Latch 3| is provided with an inclined surface 38 leading from the insidesurface 33 of the handle I3, to groove 31. Thus, if the spring I1 shouldbe positioned between the two latches, closing the pliers will cause thenearest surface 35 of latch 30 to retain the spring by the action of theinclined surface 38 of latch 3|, camming it into seat 31 where it willbe locked, as previously described. This automatic action is designed toexpose the working positions most frequently used, or those positions onjaw I0, as shown in the drawings.

To expose the jaw that is used less frequently, namely, jaw I2, thespring I1 is unseated from latch 3| and pushed to the other position andlifted over latch 30 to rest in seat 36, under spring tension. Thisholds the intermediate jaw against jaw I0, exposing jaw I2. To bring theintermediate jaw jack to the other position, it is merely necessary tolift the spring over latch 30 and utilize the automatic action describedabove.

The latches and spring enable the intermediate jaw to be locked in thedesired position. The latches and spring may be omitted, and theintermediate jaw manually placed in the desired position during theoperation of the pliers.

The pliers may be equipped with any arrangement of working positionscooperating between the main jaws and the intermediate jaw forinstalling electrical connectors or any other purpose of which pliersmay beused. Positions may also be arranged between the main jaws withoutcooperating With the intermediate jaw such as position 22 and 25 in Fig.1.

The pliers may be equipped with more than one intermediate jaw toincrease the number of working positions, all of which have adequatemechanical advantage. In such each jaw may have its own latching spring,and the latches provided with seats for simultaneously seating all thesprings, when one main jaw is desired to be exposed.

We have thus described our invention, but we desire it understood thatit is not conned to the particular forms or uses shown and described,the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may becarried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of ourinvention, and, therefore, we claim broadly the right to employ allequivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendedclaims, and by means of which, objects of our invention are attained andnew results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particularembodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many thatcan be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A tool having a plurality of pivotally connected main jaw members,eachcontaining a working surface, and each having a handle extendingfrom said jaw members; an intermediate jaw member pivotally mounted onthe same axis as said main jaw members and having working surfaces eachcomplementary to a working surface on said main jaw members, saidintermediate jaw member terminating in a spring latch; said handles eachhaving a catch for engagement with said spring latch; one of saidcatches having a camming surface thereon for engaging said spring latchwhen positioned between the two catches and causing said latch to becammed into and secured on the catch having said camming surface forpredetermining the position of the intermediate jaw member when thehandles are pressed towards each other, and the spring latch ispositioned between the two catches.

2. A metal-working compression apparatus having a plurality of connectedmain compression members each having different working die surfaces forcold working the shape of a metal article, and a connected intermediatejaw member positioned between the main compression members, and havingworking die surfaces on opposite sides thereof, each complementary to aworking die surface on said main compression members, means fortransmitting pressure to the two main compression members sufficient toclose the compression members and cold work the metal position between aselected main compression member and the intermediate jaw member, withthe intermediate member jaw posi tioned against the remaining maincompression member, latching means for predetermining the lockedposition of the intermediate jaw member to a main compression memberwhen the compression members are open, whereby the intermediate jawmember will be locked solely to the predetermined compression memberduring the opening and closing of the main compression membersthereafter, and means for latching the intermediate jaw member to theother main compression member when the main compression members are openwhereby the intermediate jaw member will be locked to the other maincompression member during the opening and closing of the maincompression members thereafter.

3. The metal-working apparatus of claim 2 wherein the main compressionmembers and the intermediate jaw member are pivoted on the same axis,and an extended arm is provided on the intermediate jaw member, said'intermediate jaw member and extended arm being positioned between themain compression members at the axis of pivo-t, and between the meansfor transmitting the pressure to the main compression membersrespectively.

4. The metal-working apparatus of claim 3 wherein the extended arm fromthe intermediate jaw member may be exed in the direction of movement ofthe main compression members.

IRVING FREDERICK MATTHYSSE. HENRY PETER DUPRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 200,238 Alker Feb. 12, 1878505,835 Kulp Oct. 3, 1893 660,489 COnn 1 Oct. 23, 1900 1,171,221 MarionFeb. 8, 1916 1,178,007 Gloor Apr. 4, 1916 2,214,985 Bachmann Sept. 17,1940

